Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree or Yule tree is the most popular tradition associated with Christmas celebration. This tree considered as a partner in happiness and excitement of festival celebration. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought in homes as purpose of decoration and celebration. Christmas tree are decorated in different fashion and in different manner across the world based on different views and following of festival traditions and beliefs. Christians around the world marvelously decorate this tree with paper lights, lanterns, paper flowers, colourful lights, ornaments, gifts and toys. A star and an angle also hold prominent place in decoration because of a beliefs that both are appeared in Bethlehem during Lord Christ birth.

Christmas trees became popular throughout the world and now that they are available in various forms and shapes. They can be artificial or natural. For natural trees, Silver Fir, Norway spruce, and Noble Fir and Balsam Fir, Fraser Fir, Douglas, Scots and Stone Pines are widely used in North Europe and North America. But artificial trees are more convenient and more popular as they are less expensive. In U.S. 70% of the trees are artificial.

Through the centuries Christmas tree decorations underwent several changes. In 16th century Christmas trees were decorated with roses, which are generally associated with Virgin Mary. Paper roses, wafers, nuts, lighted candles, and sweets were the popular decorative items for the trees in 17th century. Till mid 19th century cookies, chains of popcorn, raisins, nuts and pretzels were used but in the later half of the century toys, bells, garlands and paper decorations becomes the most popular decorative items. Stars, angels, or flags were placed at the top of the tree.

The first known decorated Christmas tree was the one at Riga in Latvia in 1510. It is supposed that tree was brought to England by Georgian kings of Germany. The Georgian kings from Germany brought the first Christmas tree to England. The Royal Court England does not have the tradition of putting up Christmas trees at that time. It was the Germans who started the tradition in 16th century with the pyramids of wood ornamented with evergreens and candles.

Another popular story regarding this mythological tree goes like this- It was a winter evening in Germany around 16th century. Martin Luther King was walking through the forest on Christmas Eve. As he walked he was astonished by the beauty of millions of stars glimmering through the branches of the evergreen fir trees. When he returned home, he tried to explain his experience to his family. He took a small fir tree from the wood and brought it indoors and decorated it with candles. This is how the trend of decoration began.

The logical concept behind this idea is – evergreen trees are magical symbol of life. They remind us of the spring sunshine. Candles and electric lights are used as decorative items so that the light of spring can overshadow the darkness of winter.

Yet another legend tells story of a poor woodsman who long ago met a lost and hungry child on Christmas Eve. Though very poor himself, the woodsman gave the child food and shelter for the night. The woodsmen wake up the next morning and find a beautiful glittering tree outside his door. The hungry child was really the Christ Child in disguise. He created the tree to reward the good man for his charity.

Others group of people says that the origin of the Christmas tree may be from the Paradise Play in medieval period. In medieval times most people could not read and write. It is only through plays teaching lesson of the Bible are carried out all over the Europe .The Paradise Play, which showed the creation of man and the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden was performed every year on December 24th. In this play through the structure of Christmas tree the whole story of life is narrated. In ancient philosophies and religions, for instance, we find that the tree has often been used as a symbol for the universe, whose roots sprang forth from the divine heart of all things and whose trunk, branches, twigs, and leaves were the different spheres of world. The colourful glass balls on it then stand for the manifold planets and globes, connected with everything throughout the cosmos. And the candles is in one way, to represent the divine spark that is in every living being,

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